Tampa Florida DUI Statistics

Florida DUI Statistics

Various local, state and national organizations gather information on DUI statistics. Visit the links below for more information about DUI statistics in Tampa, Hillsborough County, or throughout the State of Florida.

The number of DUI Breath tests conducted per According to the FDLE Statistical Reviews, the number of DUI breath tests have dropped every year since FDLE started reporting statistics from the Intoxilyzer 8000.

2007 - 53,168

2008 - 51,274 - 3.56% drop

2009 - 48,516 - 5.38% drop

2010 - 43,568 - 10.20% drop

2011 - 40,682 - 6.62% drop

2012 - 37,974 - 6.66% drop

2013 - 35,471 - 6.59% drop

2014 - 34,287 - 3.34% drop

2015 - 31,421 - 8.36% drop

Tampa DUI Statistics

Crime Statistics from the Police Department for the City of Tampa - Over the last 10 years the number of DUI arrests has both risen and fallen. Over the last 10 years TPD made the highest number of DUI arrests in 2007 when it issued 2,773 DUI citations. The lowest number of DUI arrests were made in 2012 when only 1,912 DUI citations were issued.

Hillsborough County DUI Statistics

According to the 2015 MADD National nomination, In 2014, all of HCSO conducted 1,812 DUI investigations which led to formal criminal charges. The 3D DUI Squad accounted for 70% of the DUI investigations conducted by HCSO. Additionally, the 3D DUI Squad conducted 7 Checkpoints and 31 Saturations.

In 2014, Operation 3D Squad worked 361 more DUI's (1,328) and completed 2,323 more traffic stops than in 2013. Also, only one (1) deputy achieved more than 100 DUI arrests in 2013, nine (9) 3D deputies achieved more than 100 DUI's in 2014. Those deputies included:

The FDLE publishes a list of DUI arrests made each year by county. The following list shows the number of arrests for DUI in Hillsborough County:

2014 - 40062013 - 36602012 - 39112011 - 41882010 - 5096

Florida DUI Statistics in 2011

Statistics released from the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (DHSMV) show that 55,722 citations for DUI were issued in Florida. Out of those 55,722 citations, only 33,625 DUI convictions were reported.

So approximately 60% of individuals cited for DUI in Florida were ultimately convicted. The other citations may have been resolved without a DUI conviction under the following circumstances:

the charges were dropped by the prosecutor;

the charges were dismissed by the court;

the individual entered a plea to a lesser charge such as "reckless driving"; or

the charges are still pending resolution.

Who issued these DUI citations? A breakdown of the agencies that issued the citations show that 23,649 were issued by various police departments throughout Florida, 21,868 were issued by various Sheriffs' departments in Florida, and 9,328 were issued by the Florida Highway Patrol.

Which county had the highest number of DUI citations issued in the State of Florida? That distinction goes to Hillsborough County with 3,256 citations. Another county in the Tampa Bay area came in fourth place - Pinellas County (St. Petersburg / Clearwater) had 1,824 citations issued.

2010 Florida DUI Statistics

In 2010, 58,174 DUI citations were issued. Of those, 30,933 resulted in an adjudication of guilt for DUI or reduced or changed charge such as reckless driving. 1,105 of these cases involve the case being resolved with adjudication withheld by the judge which would not involve a plea to DUI because in a DUI case the judge is not allowed to withhold adjudication. The prosecutor entered a "nol pross" which dropped the charges in 5,809 cases. At the time the statistics were reported, 18,749 of these cases were still pending resolution.

A breakdown of DUI convictions in the largest counties in Florida include:

Hillsborough County (Tampa) - 3,256

Miami-Dade - (Miami) - 2,274

Duval County - (Jacksonville) - 2,222

Pinellas County (St Petersburg / Clearwater) - 1,824

Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach) - 1,561

Orange County (Orlando) - 1,383

Brevard County (Melbourne) - 1,072

Broward County (Fort Lauderdale) - 985

Florida DUI Statistics in 2009

DUI Citations DUI Convictions

2006 63,591 2007 64,4102008 64,654 38,6642009 63,019 36,872

Florida DUI Statistics in 2008

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles issued preliminary data regarding statistics in 2008 showing that the number of DUI fatalities was down in 2008. In fact, only 2,986 deaths occurred in 2008 which is the lowest number of fatalities in eight years even though the State’s population grew more than 18% over the same time period.

The Florida Highway Patrol Activity report also shows that in 2008, the Florida Highway Patrol did the following:

made 10,732 arrests for Driving Under the Influence (DUI);

made 8,320 arrests for felony offenses;

issued 406,482 citations for speeding;

investigated 230,515 crashes; and

recovered 942 stolen vehicles.

Last year the Florida DHSMV reported a summary of the total DUI violations and convictions, which included the following findings regarding changes from 2006 to 2007:

Violations for DUI in the state rose from 63,591 in 2006 to 64,410 in 2007, an increase of 1.29%;

The number of pending DUI dispositions fell from 21,217 in 2006 to 20,919 in 2007, a decrease of1.40%;

DUI convictions in the state rose from 34,638 in 2006 to 35,372 in 2007, an increase of 2.12%.

National DUI Statistics

An estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving crashes involving a driver with an illegal blood or breath alcohol concentration of .08 or greater in 2008. Those 11,773 deaths constitute 31.6 percent of the 37,261 total traffic fatalities in 2008. (NHTSA DUI Statistics 2009).

Beware of statistics on "alcohol-related" fatal accidents - The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the U.S. defines a fatal crash as alcohol-related if either a driver or a non-motorist had a measurable or estimated BAC of 0.01 g/dl or above. That standard is entirely too low. Florida law presumes NO impairment if the BAC is .05 or lower. Additionally, most people would assume the alcohol was consumed by the driver and intoxication contributed to the accident. But under this standard, even if a passenger in the backseat had a .01 BAC it is "alcohol-related." Even more troubling, if a sober driver hits a pedestrian with a BAC of .01 NHTSA would report it as an alcohol-related fatal crash.

The law is constantly changing and evolving, particularly as it relates to drunk driving cases. Our website is for general information purposes only. The information presented in this website should not be construed to be formal legal advice, nor does it create any relationship between an attorney and a client. Contact us today to request additional written information without cost or obligation or to speak directly with an attorney about your case.